I’ve stepped back and stopped writing much recently. I needed to be quiet and empty and still.

Life at my house is still a vortex with many a Code Brown and daily mopping of Jack’s pee floor. I did manage to carve out some moments of peace and reflection, though. It was a fruitful writing hiatus, because I concluded something that fills me with a pulsing, vibrant sense of gladness.

It’s this: My children have taught me to be more than I was before. They are valiant.. They respond resiliently to their challenges. They have altered the priorities, shape, and trajectory of our family.

I like us better now.